Just after Thanksgiving, the formation of a new racing series was announced. Designed as an open competition series, the Winged Outlaw Figure 8 Series (WOFS) will feature Late Model Figure 8 cars with wings alongside most stock type cars as well, thanks to a super skinny rulebook. The new "Run What Ya Brung" series will be spearheaded by series coordinators Steve "Chicken" Little and David Sink and based out of Anderson, Indiana. The WOFS currently has several dates already secured and the schedule should have been released by the time you read this.

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WOFS officials explained that all future details of the new series can be found on their Facebook page. Fans, owners, and drivers can follow developments of the series there, until the launch of the new website. The new series is anticipated to kick off in early April 2014. For additional information and sponsorship opportunities contact Steve Little 765/623-8586 or David Sink 765/278-8231.

2. NASCAR Purchases Iowa Speedway
Daytona Beach, FL

Recently, NASCAR announced that it had purchased Iowa Speedway from Featherlite Trailers' founder, Conrad Clements. The facility, located 30 miles east of Des Moines in Newton, features a fast, 0.875-mile asphalt paved tri-oval designed by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.

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"Iowa Speedway is a great entertainment facility with a very bright future," said Eric Nyquist, NASCAR vice president, strategic development. "The facility has the support of the region, it's positioned well in the heart of the Midwest, and year in and year out it provides great short-track racing action for motorsports fans."

Twenty-eight-year-old Jimmy Small, who worked in NASCAR's team marketing services department, has been named President of the track.

The Speedway released its 2014 schedule earlier this month, encompassing three weekends, one each in May, July, and August. The schedule will include two NASCAR Nationwide Series races, a combination NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and IndyCar Series weekend, plus two additional NASCAR K&N Pro Series support races. NASCAR has no plans for Iowa Speedway to host a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race next year or in the immediate future.

3. MSD Performance Group Acquired by Z Capital
El Paso, TX

MSD Performance Group, one of the world leaders in vehicle aftermarket performance parts, recently announced that the company has been acquired by Hot Rod Brands, LLC an affiliate of Z Capital Partners, LLC. MSDP sells products under the MSD, Racepak, Powerteq, Edge, and Superchips brands and had filed a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection petition on September 6, 2013.

Z Capital is a private equity firm with approximately $1.2 billion of regulatory assets and committed capital with offices in Lake Forest, Illinois and New York, New York. The firm specializes in investing in companies with a strong product line and top-tier brand recognition. According to the release, the combination of a stronger balance sheet and focused ownership will allow MSD an even greater ability to serve consumers with exciting new products and technology.

4. USAC Restructures adds two new faces
Indianapolis, IN

Veteran racer and 1995 ARCA Champion, Andy Hillenburg (pictured)along with Eric Rankine are the latest members of USAC's restructured organizational team for 2014 and beyond. Their addition begins USAC's move to re-focus on its core racing series and create expansion of its marketing and merchandising efforts.

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Hillenburg's new post is Director of Competition for the Silver Crown Championship Series, while Rankine becomes Director of Competition for the developmental HPD Series and will oversee technical aspects of the .25 Midget series.

The 50-year-old Hillenburg is a former series competitor who, despite the lack of a victory, enjoyed a measure of success as a Silver Crown driver. Between 1985 and 1991 he scored 23 top 10s in 40 starts, topped by third-place finishes at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in 1987 and the Indiana State Fairgrounds in 1989.

Rankine, whose son Ross owns four championships in the highly-competitive developmental Midwest Midget arena, presided over Rankin Manufacturing, a Structural Steel company in New London, Ohio, for a quarter-century and actually competed in Sprint races in the 1980s and 1990s, winning the 1995 and 2000 Fremont (Ohio) Speedway track championship.

5. POWRi to Sanction NZ Midget Championships
Millstadt, IL

POWRi Racing will sanction the inaugural POWRi Lucas Oil Midget World Championship, a 16-event competition starting December 26 in New Zealand followed by races in Australia and the United States.

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"We're extremely excited and proud to be involved in establishing a series that will crown the Midget World Champion driver," POWRi co-founder Kenny Brown said. "It is recognition that is long overdue."

POWRi created the Lucas Oil National Midget Series in 2005 and sanctions several more series in the United States. It began sanctioning the New Zealand Midget Super Series and the Australian Speedcar (Midgets) Super Series late in 2012 with the goal of forming a world championship.

6. Stuart Hilborn Passes Away at 96
Aliso Viejo, CA

Motorsports industry icon Stuart Hilborn passed away December 16, 2013, at the age of 96. Stuart's passion for racing and speed led him to invent the constant flow mechanical fuel injector. Shunned by his peers, he refined the design to become the first person to propel a race car over the magical 150 mph mark at the dry lakes. Hilborn fuel injectors went on to dominate the Indianapolis 500 34 times and then any racing venue that required maximum speed with an internal combustion engine.

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Stuart is survived by his wife Ginny of 60 years, along with his daughter Edris and his son Duane, 4 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.